CBOT sets monthly, quarterly, electronic records

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) announced yesterday that it achieved its best quarterly volume ever in the first quarter of 2006, setting records for average daily volume and total volume. March volume also set a record.

Volume during the first quarter of 2006 averaged a record 3,107,525 contracts per day, up 10% from the same period last year. Total volume across the Exchange reached a record of 192,666,573 contracts for the quarter. Average daily volume (ADV) on the Exchange's e-cbot electronic trading platform also climbed to a record 2,132,195 contracts, a 20% increase over the first quarter of 2005.

For the second consecutive month, the CBOT posted record volume in March 2006. Total Exchange volume was 70,480,117 contracts changing hands, a 5% increase over the previous record set the month before. Electronic trading volume at the CBOT for March 2006 averaged a record 2,138,312 contracts per day, increasing 14 percent over March 2005.

Three new products debuted at the CBOT during the first quarter of 2006: the Soybean Crush options on futures contract, the 100 Oz. Gold options on futures contract and the $25 "Big" Dow futures contract. Key product groups including Interest Rate, Agricultural and Equity Index also experienced volume growth in the first quarter.

Volume increases in CBOT corn futures and options contracts paved the way for a successful quarter in the Exchange's Agricultural complex. The ADV for CBOT corn futures grew to 147,334 contracts, an increase of 40% compared with the first quarter of 2005. Meanwhile, corn options reached an ADV of 28,903 contracts, a 40% improvement over the same period a year earlier.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) announced yesterday that it achieved its best quarterly volume ever in the first quarter of 2006, setting records for average daily volume and total volume. March volume also set a record.